Cowen: Banagher Chilling loss "a blow to Offaly"
Plans for a major beef processing plant in Banagher will not now proceed, MEP Barry Cowen has said.
The Fianna Fáil politician said a Chinese consortium behind plans for the Banagher Chilling facility at a site located at Boheradurrow and Meenwaun, 3km southeast of Banagher, had pulled the plug.
Banagher Chilling Ltd had previously been granted planning permission by Offaly County Council in July 2020 for what was described as a €25m project which involves "a single-storey extension to the existing abattoir" and the construction of a food processing factory of 4,925 square metres, on a 19.6 hectare site.
That was subsequently appealed to what was then An Bord Pleánala by Desmond Kampff and Gwen Wordingham, with addresses in Banagher.
In June 2022, the planning board granted planning permission for the project, but this was subsequently quashed by the High Court after a challenge by Kampff and Wordingham.
The two told the High Court that they brought their case due to “critical” concerns about the proposed processing plant’s impact on the environment. The planning board decided not to contest the action.
The matter was then back before the board for a fresh adjudication with a decision due last August.
The case is still listed as ongoing on the An Coimisiún Pleanala website, and the commission had not responded to queries from the Offaly Independent at the time of going to press.
Cowen said the loss of the project was “a blow to the local community in Offaly and the wider Irish beef sector”.
“This facility had the potential to create significant jobs and open further export opportunities for Irish producers, particularly to Asian markets, and its loss is a blow to those ambitions,” Mr Cowen said.
He said he was disappointed but not surprised.
“Since permission was originally granted in 2019, the project being held up until today has meant that the licencing, development and construction costs had all increased substantially,” the MEP said.
He added: “It is worth underscoring that this site retains a slaughtering licence, and we fully expect that interest from other investors will be strong as long as the planning pathway is clear.
“I will be engaging with stakeholders in the coming days to ensure this facility is ultimately developed in a way that delivers real competition and jobs for this region,” Mr Cowen said.
“The circumstances around this project illustrate the very real harm that our current planning process can cause to commercial, residential and infrastructure investment alike.”
Mr Cowen called on the Government to "finally and fully address" planning reform in this coming year.
Meanwhile, Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan expressed her regret and disappointment that the plan was not proceeding.